Nita Maynard-Perrin isn’t just a gun on the field; she’s one of the most decorated players in the NRLW and a fierce voice for women in rugby league. From pulling on the jersey for New Zealand to carving out a major presence in the Australian Premiership, she’s done it all with grit and passion. What makes Nita really stand out, however, is how hard she fights for other women in the game, pushing for better recognition, support, and opportunities for the next wave of players. She’s not just playing footy, she’s changing it.

Originally from Gisborne, New Zealand, Nita has an enviable playing resume packed with honours and achievements. They include helping to kick off the NRLW’s debut season in 2018 and participating in the first Grand Final for the Sydney Roosters. Then, in 2021, while playing for the Parramatta Eels, Nita accepted a new role with the Rugby League Player Association (RLPA) as a Player Operations Manager. Instead of giving feedback as a player delegate, she stepped up into a position with the union where she could actually help shape the future of the women’s game.

“I kind of stumbled upon the job,” says Nita. “An opportunity came up, I read the job description and could see how heavily involved in the game it was. And I thought, I’ve been playing in the NRLW from the beginning, and while I can see growth in the game, there is still a lot of development to go. And I wanted to be a part of that.”

The RLPA’s Player Operations Managers are the “go-to” people for NRL and NRLW players. Their job is all about support. They work closely with players and their interests, from contract questions or agent dramas to legal, insurance, and integrity matters. Nita says she also had personal reasons for wanting to get involved with the RLPA. One was her own playing experience, which opened her eyes to how different things are for players in New Zealand compared to those in Australia. 

“I always felt sad when I would go back to Kiwi Ferns camp back then, when there were minimum standards for such a high-performance environment,” Nita says. “Girls are made to feel like they are lesser and like they should be grateful for just the opportunity to play.”

[Nita is in a red and white St. George Illawarra Dragons uniform and is running with the ball on the field, looking focused as she prepares to pass.]

Having played NRLW, State of Origin and international rugby league, Nita brings a wealth of experience and insight to the RLPA, helping keep the game truly player-focused. Off the field, she’s just as experienced. She’s a mum to her 12-year-old daughter, and recently married her longtime partner, so she’s able to connect with fellow players on all kinds of levels.

For example, Nita remembers getting pregnant in her first year in Australia, which put both her life and playing ambitions on hold. When she returned to rugby she found balancing training and games with a new baby and a busy home life really tough, something many of her female teammates can relate to. “I was really, really lucky that I had such a great support system, including my family, my husband and his family, and they all helped make it possible for me to be an athlete,” says Nita. She’s also picked up some solid time-management skills over the years.“For me, sport comes really easily, but it's all the other things, the skills that you learn along the way that are harder,” she says.

Nita says she’s always working on goals as part of her role with the RLPA. “For me personally, I know how important it is for people to see me being a Māori and Pacific Islander from a low-income background,” she explains. “I think sometimes you can get marginalised as a brown person, so seeing and being is just as important to growing your community and looking after your community.”

Her ultimate goal is for people to realise that rugby reaches far beyond a single culture. “It's a big shift in how we all treat each other and how we can better our experiences as a whole,” she says. “I think in general if people can be more caring and more considerate of a person’s background, then everybody can have a better experience. I'm fortunate to work in rugby league, and that's very much possible from the perspective that I can see and through some of the initiatives that I'm involved in.”

[Nita is in a red and white St. George Illawarra Dragons uniform and is smiling while tossing a Steeden rugby ball in the air. She stands confidently against a plain white background.]

When asked where she’d like to see women’s rugby league in five years, Nita said she hopes the game is fully professional with 18 rounds, properly funded, well-paid, and fully supported. “I think that comes from more support for junior rugby league, so that means education for coaching staff, team managers, and all the support staff,” she says. “As much as people want to volunteer, you have to give them the means to be able to do that.”

Nita calls her daughter a “little star in the making” who she hopes will have the opportunity to pursue rugby league at an elite level if she wishes. "I'm happy just knowing that there's going to be a clear pathway for her if she ever wanted to go down that track when she gets a bit older,” says Nita.